The Dutch flag cargo ship Floragracht arrived and anchored in the lower harbour for inspeciton. Built in 2011 by Jiangsu Changbo Shipyard in Jingjiang, China, it measures 8,620 grt, 12,178 dwt and carries three 80 tonne cranes. Owner Spliethoff's operate six sister ships in the "F" class.

Atlantic Towing Ltd's Atlantic Condor set out out on her regular run to Deep Panuke. Built by Halifax Shipyard in 2010, the supplier makes the trip at least once a week.

HMCS Athabaskan, followed by HMCS Halifax were the first naval ships to sail this morning, followed by the NATO visiting ships.With HMCS Iroquois laid up with corrosion problems, Athabaskan is as close to a destroyer as the RCN has on this coast.

Turkish Kemalries gets under way for sea. Her canted funnels are reminiscent of the Canadian Tribalsas built.

USNS Medgar Evers makes its way slowly from HMC Dockyard to Imperial Oil. A Sea King helo buzzes around the ship.

The tanker Cape Beale moved out to anchor to create space for Medgar Evers. Cape Beale was built in 2005 by Hyundai Mipo in Ulsan, 25,108 grt, 40,327 dwt. It operates for Columbia Ship Management Deutschland of Hamburg in the UPT pool.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Although it was a civic holiday in Halifax today, Fairview Cove worked two ships, the familiar Seoul Express, and another first timer NYK Diana in bound from the orient via west and east coast ports.

Built in 2008 by Hyundai, Ulsan, the 55,534 grt ship has a container capacity of 4922 TEU
The trickle down of Panamax sized ships continues with owners diverting these less efficient ships to make room for post-Panamax giants on the long hauls.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Sunday callers at Autoport are not unheard of, but they are fairly rare. Today's arrival was Crystal Ace It was a hazy day so the ship's starboard side, was free of the deep shadow which would normally be the case.

While alongside at Autoport, ships send their head lines out to a pair of mooring buoys. The tug Roseway tends these lines, making its way from Dartmouth Cove to Autoport to meet the ship on arrival and back again to let it go.

Once the lines are free, tugs (not visible behind the ship) ease the ship off the berth and it exits Eastern Passage for the main harbour and off to sea.

Crystal Ace dates from 2012 when it emerged from the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe shipyard. It is operated by Mitsui OSK Lines under the Marshal Islands flag and measures 60,131 grt.

Later in the evening the tanker Silver Express came to anchor for inspection. It was met by the tug Atlantic Oak which stood by, and the launch Halmar which took inspectors out to the ship. The ship's last port was Freetown, Sierra Leone, so let's hope they inspected for Ebola.

Built by Onomichi Dockyard, it is a 26,900 grt, 47,701 dwt product tanker operated by Doun Kisen of Japan, under the Panama flag.

It was a quiet day at HMC Dockyard, as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 flotilla rests in port for the weekend. All crammed together at Jetty November Bravo, the ships form a solid looking mass.

From the left TCG Kemalreis F-247 Anzac* class (Turkish), USS Anzio CG-66 (tan mast) and Leyte Gulf CG-55, Ticonderoga class, on the south side of the pier. On the north side the massive USNS Medgar Evers T-AKE 13 Lewis and Clarke class, dwarfing FGS Niedersachsen F-208 Bremen class.
* [Kemalries shares the MEKO-200 platform with the ANZAC's, but it would probably be a stretch to say they are the same class. Portuguese run the MEKO-200s, as well as a few others, but the equipment fits are all different, and I'm not certain the ANZACs were even the first to hit the water.]

HMCS Regina was a member of the group but peeled off and headed for the Panama Canal on her way home to Esquimalt.

The ships are due to sail Tuesday morning for exercises, starting at 0900 on half hour intervals. Medgar Evers will move to Imperial Oil at 1100 and spend the day taking on fuel.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

The Canadian government's abysmal record in selling off its older ships (which I have ranted about before) rarely results in any useful occupation for the vessels. Left to moulder, often for several years, before they are listed for sale, they are then subjected to several "re-offerings" at lower and lower reserved prices until someone finally bites.

CGS Louisbourg soon after delivery to the Department of Fisheries in 1977, tied up at Queen's Wharf in Halifax.

CCGS Louisborg is such an example, now being offered for the fifth time by my account. Built in 1977 it was removed from service in October 2012. Sometime in 2013 it was turned over for sale. (This is fairly rapid by usual standards). In December 2013 it was first listed for sale with a minimum price of $385,000. By this time everyone knows that the government will eventually settle for far less, so it was that the minimum bid was reduced at successive sales to $300,000, $285,000, $250,000 and now with no minimum (closing August 11.) How low can you go?

By the time the ships are sold they are usually good for scrap only, but there is some hope for Louisbourg, which has an aluminum hull.

A rare success story is the former CCGS Sir Humphrey Gilbert. A fine icebreaker, built by Davie Shipbuilding in Lauzon in 1959, it received a major refit in 1984-85 when it had a new bow built at Halifax Shipyard. Removed from service in 2001 the ship was renamed 2001-06 for sale. It was briefly renamed Gilbert I for new owners, but in July 2002 it became Polar Prince and became Canada's only commercial icebreaker for hire. (There are other ships classed as Icebreakers, but they are cargo carriers)
Although it has had a succession of owners since, it is still in service. It has spent this past winter in Lunenburg, but now appears to be readying for some sort of mission.

Polar Prince at the railway pier in Lunenburg this morning. Note the crewman atop the helicopter hangar.

As usual her upper deck carries cars out in the open, while her lower RoRo decks carry vehicles and other cargo in sheltered conditions. The ship carries containers forward and has cranes if needed. While in Halifax a shore crane is used to handle the boxes.